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Shhh: WH quietly removes Obama boasts from other presidential bios; Update: Or not

In May, several folks took note that the White House’s web site had quietly added USA Today-style factoids promoting Obama’s accomplishments at the bottom of the biographies of other presidents, Democrat and Republican alike. The discovery caused a small flurry of negative publicity and a parody Tumblr by the GOP. (Which, disappointingly, they did not sustain. They finally did something actually funny and sharp with viral potential, but they couldn’t stick with it.)

But as quietly as the Obama boasts appeared, they have been removed. The bullet points are now gone from all the biographies on the White House’s website.

Update (AP): Hold the phone, the boasts are still there. Reason adds this update:

“CORRECTION: I need my eyes checked. The Obama infoboxes are still there, but they appear to have been redesigned to look less like part of the other presidents’ biographies. My apologies for the temporary blindness.”

The One had a moment of clarity. It turns out those other presidents were not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as The One. So The One was was obligated to remove His name.

visions on June 14, 2012 at 12:57 PM

That’s probably about right. Or maybe he felt sorry for them. The other presidents were diminished by The One’s presence. Except for Fillmore. Millard Fillmore. He looked positively Washingtonian next to Obama.

“President John F. Kennedy famously suggested the American people: “Ask what you can do for your country.” In 1961, the Peace Corps was created, facilitating service among citizens working toward peace in developing countries. In 2011, President Obama celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps with a Presidential Proclamation.”

…

For Obama the History of the United State is still all Obama all the time.

From the article:

CORRECTION: I need my eyes checked. The Obama infoboxes are still there, but they appear to have been redesigned to look less like part of the other presidents’ biographies. My apologies for the temporary blindness.

Big deal, barky and the mooch are everywhere else. Can’t even watch cooking or comedy shows anymore without seeing one of their smirking mugs.

Lost in Jersey on June 14, 2012 at 12:50 PM

And even more disturbingly – CHILDREN’S SHOWS. Although I’ve successfully indoctrinated my kids with good conservative values so when they see Obama they immediately associate him with a Commie wanting to take their stuff. To them its their toys.

Funny sidenote. I’m an election judge and the kids often are at the polls with me. Funniest thing my 7yr old, then about 5 ever said was:

“One of my predecessors, President Rutherford B. Hayes, reportedly said about the telephone: ‘It’s a great invention, but who would ever want to use one?'” Obama said. “That’s why he’s not on Mt. Rushmore.”

“He’s looking backwards; he’s not looking forward. He’s explaining why we can’t do something instead of why we can do something,” Obama continued. “The point is, there will always be cynics and naysayers.”

I guess Obama’s speech-writers put this out there to show how forward-thinking is our 44th president compared to some of his (Republican) predecessors. There’s just one flaw in this approach: Hayes never said that!

But as quietly as the Obama boasts appeared, they have been removed. The bullet points are now gone from all the biographies on the White House’s website.

From the article:

CORRECTION: I need my eyes checked. The Obama infoboxes are still there, but they appear to have been redesigned to look less like part of the other presidents’ biographies. My apologies for the temporary blindness.

gekkobear on June 14, 2012 at 1:43 PM

Yes, looks like some are still there – FDR, Kennedy. I seem to recall there was one on Lincoln, but there isn’t right now.

Looks like they’re in the process of redesigning them, not deleting them.